Playing for Keeps

by Hill, Jamie

"I used enough. I look forward to brushing it out. It may even give me a hard-on."

  She snuggled against him and smiled. "It needs to be brushed several times a day, you know."

  He sighed contentedly. "I believe I'm up to the task."

  Maddie wiggled her toes on the edge of the tub. "Gee, if we only had another day together, I might have you talked into giving me a pedicure."

  Rob chuckled. "I'd do it. I painted Sophie's nails once. Everyone said she looked like a clown."

  "Maybe I'll pass, thanks," Maddie reconsidered. "I still wish we had another day together."

  "I do, too." He kissed her earlobe. "I don't want to go to sleep tonight. I want to savor every minute with you."

  "Me, too." She nestled into him and closed her eyes.

  * * * *

  Somewhere around three a.m., they lay wrapped around each other after making love. Rob brushed a piece of hair from Maddie's face. "You know, we got so caught up with Zoey that I never did find out how you made it to Oklahoma from Harvard."

  She buried her face in the soft hair on his chest. "It's not my favorite part of the story."

  "It gets worse?"

  "Not like you mean. But yeah, it's worse."

  He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's hear it."

  Maddie twisted one finger around a patch of his chest hair, twirling it. "I walked away from a two hundred thousand dollar education. My parents wanted me to be a lawyer. They were paying for it. But it wasn't me. Deep down, I knew it would never be me. I couldn't stand up to them, at first, and when I finally could, I did it in the wrong way."

  "What did you do?" he asked softly.

  "Just what I said. I walked away. The semester ended, I put Zoey and Milo on a plane to Madrid, and I wandered around Cambridge aimlessly. My bags were packed, but I couldn't go back to Hartford. I had a couple of drinks at some dive, smoked a joint with a hooker named Topaz. I think she was a woman. Damn good make-up job if not. I actually bought her a hamburger so she'd stay with me longer. When we left, we passed this place, Jake's Tattoo Emporium. Classy, eh? Well, this Chevy full of Mexican guys hollered at me and Topaz, so I figured I had two choices. Make a quick but disgusting twenty bucks—you realize I'm joking here—or get a tattoo. Topaz ducked into the Chevy, I ducked into Jake's, and I got a heart tattooed on my shoulder. Thank God it was lame pot, or I might have come away with an eagle, or a skull and crossbones, or some such thing."

  Maddie didn't realize tears had started to fall, but noticed when they pooled on Rob's chest. He did nothing but hold her tightly and let her talk.

  "I ended up at the bus station, and the only place I could think of to go was Zoey's hometown, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She made it sound so great. I always gave her shit about it, of course, a fucking Okie from Muskogee. But there I was, riding a bus for seventy-some-odd hours and ending up in a bus station that looked surprisingly similar to where I started, except it was in Oklahoma. I had some money. Obviously my parents were the ones with the money, but I had a credit card that I managed to max out before my old man cancelled it. I rented a room, scouted out the town and neighboring locations, and got a copy of the help-wanted ads. Fortunately, or unfortunately, however you wish to look at it, Frances was looking to hire a kid wrangler. My reputation was still pretty golden at that point, so I got the job. I called the folks, they had a vague notion of where I was from the credit card company, and told them I was moving to Oklahoma to work at a childcare center. After the maid brought the smelling salts to my mother, and my father went hoarse from yelling at me, I told them thank you, see you, screw you, and hung up. That was five years ago."

  He stared at her. "They never came after you, or tried to call?"

  She shrugged. "A couple of times. I blew them off. They stopped trying."

  "And Frances," He said the name the way Maddie always did, "doesn't know any of this?"

  She shrugged again. "Why should she? It's not like I broke any laws, if you don't count the damage I did to the Stewart family honor. And I totally cleaned up my act once I got here. I never smoke pot anymore. Truth be told, that's because I wouldn't know where to buy it. But probably not, because of all the weird shit they put in drugs these days. I'm extremely careful about drugs, what with roofies, and all that. Absolutely no drugs. Rosa and I like to go out on the weekends, but we're careful and watch each other's backs. Rosa's probably the best friend I have here."

  "Until now," he said softly, and used the bed sheet to dry her face. "Wow, that was quite a story. I'm sorry if it upset you to tell it."

  She shook her head. "I'm sorry if it upset you to hear it. I know I fucked up. But in some twisted way, I'm happy here. I like my job, I have some friends. Things are really pretty good."

  "Can I ask you a question?"

  "Of course."

  He was silent for a moment, and Maddie could tell he chose his words carefully. "You had two years of Harvard under your belt. You took a job working in a childcare center. Why?"

  She smiled. "Why didn't I choose something more important? You don't think taking care of children is one of the most important jobs a person could ever do?"

  "Well, sure." He backpedaled.

  "It's okay. Lots of people feel that way. I happen to think it's a very important job. I love children. They're so fresh and honest about everything. I really like my job, not that there aren't some days I want to pull my hair out, but mostly it's a lot of fun.

  "Plus, when I got off the bus, I was fresh off finals, which were grueling. I was looking for a job that I could put in my eight hours, and go home. No homework, no being 'on call', none of that shit. This job filled the bill perfectly, it paid pretty well, and like I said, it all just seemed to work out."

  "Fair enough." He rubbed her back. "And lucky for me, too. I am very glad someone referred me to Sunny Days Childcare Center. They provide the most wonderful services." He kissed the tip of her nose, and she burst into laughter. They lay together that way for a few minutes, and he finally asked, "You ever think about going back to school? Finishing those last two years?"

  "Probably couldn't get in to Harvard again," she deadpanned.

  "You know what I mean." He poked her in the ribs.

  "Yeah, I've thought about it. Frances encourages it, in fact. They'd like all their employees to have a degree in Early Childhood Education. Rosa and I picked up the catalogs one time."

  "What happened?"

  She shrugged. "We gave it some thought, talked it over. We finally decided that whether we have a degree or not, the wheels on the bus are still just gonna go round and round. You know?"

  He hugged her to him tightly. "I guess so."

  * * * *

  Maddie looked through Rob's closet shortly before she left on Sunday. "Look at all these caps!" He had a dozen or so ball caps hanging in the back of his closet, plus two cowboy hats. "I've never seen you wear a cap."

  "I wear one at work." He lay back on his bed and watched her snoop. "Keeps the hair out of my face."

  "I like it when the hair gets in your face." She pictured him in her mind, rising above her. She hugged her arms to herself and turned back to the shirts hanging in the closet. "Very nice." She looked through them, pulled one out and tried it on. She knotted it at the waist and modeled for him.

  "Very, very nice," he agreed, looking her up and down.

  She hung the shirt back up and continued to look around his room. With one finger, she gently touched the dream catcher hanging on one wall. There were a few other Native decorations, and the comforter and bed pillows were a southwestern motif of black, brown and teal. It was a masculine room, but not overly so. Maddie thought it was beautiful.

  "Can I see the rest of the place?"

  Rob stood and motioned to the hall. She wandered out and he followed.

  "This place is so beautiful," she commented, admiring Sophie's pink and white room full of toys. "You've done a really nice job decorating."

  He leaned against the wall and
smiled. "This room was easy. Pink, pink, and whatever goes with pink."

  The main bathroom with the big tub was located between his room and Sophie's. "This room is amazing." She admired the black and white, checkered tile floor, which gave it an old-fashioned feel. "Retro." Maddie ran her hand along the black and white towels hanging on the towel rod, with red washcloths tucked alongside. There was a red 'Coke' clock on the wall. "Very, very cool. You did the decorating yourself?"

  He grinned. "Don't act so surprised."

  "I'm not. You should have a rec room to put stuff in. I can see it with bar signs and lights and stuff like that."

  "Someday. I told you the house is a work in progress. I'll add on when the need arises."

  Maddie looked through the other rooms. Rob had a small bathroom with a shower off his room, a sparsely decorated office, the kitchen, and a living room which was also decorated southwestern style.

  "Big living room." Maddie looked around appreciatively. She noticed a thirteen inch television set and added, "Tiny TV."

  He chuckled and shook his head. "I hate TV. Don't even have cable. I refuse to line the pockets of Capitalist Corporate America."

  She chuckled. "Yet you do have a VCR."

  He shrugged. "Someone gave it to me as a gift. I usually don't plug it in because it flashes twelve o'clock at me all the time."

  "Ooh, a technophobe? Who'd a thunk it?"

  "Sort of. I don't have a cell phone either, but in my defense, there's no signal out here, anyway. Dee couldn't stand that."

  "Bummer." Maddie smiled and stepped outside. There was a big wraparound porch off the front, and the smaller, more private porch, off the kitchen in the back. Each porch offered its own view of the land, and both were spectacular. Maddie complimented Rob as she tossed her purse in her car. "Your house is wonderful. I'm amazed and impressed that you designed and built it yourself."

  He melded himself against her and murmured, "Well, thank you. I'm amazed and impressed at the beautiful woman I shared the place with this weekend. I really wish it never had to end."

  She pressed back against him and kissed him deeply. She finally forced herself to pull away. "Moving ahead might be fun."

  He smiled. "Yeah. A little tricky, but fun. I have to be careful because of Sophie."

  "I understand. She's your first priority."

  He ran his hand down her back and squeezed her behind. "Not that you could tell it lately. I've been a bit, shall we say, preoccupied."

  "We'll find a balance."

  He nodded, opened her car door, and closed it once she was inside. He leaned in for one more kiss. "I'll call you tonight."

  "Looking forward to it already." She winked and headed down the driveway.

  Chapter Three

  "I'm glad to hear your voice," Maddie told Rob that night when he phoned her. "Here, in my quiet little apartment, there's no evidence that my fairy tale weekend ever happened. Everything looks the same as it always did, but I don't feel the same inside."

  "I know what you mean. Sophie came bouncing in like nothing's different, but everything feels different to me. Everywhere I look, I see you. You're this sexy ghost that haunts me."

  She laughed. "I like the sounds of that."

  "My pillow smells sweet, like you. Makes me miss you even more."

  "We'll just have to find a time to get together. Think about it. We'll figure something out."

  "I'll definitely give it some thought."

  She said in a soft voice, "Thanks so much for this weekend, Rob. It was truly wonderful."

  "Spectacular is another word that comes to mind. Thank you."

  "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

  "Bright and early. Well, early if not bright. It's Monday, after all."

  Maddie laughed. "Good night."

  "Good night, gorgeous."

  * * * *

  Monday lived up to its reputation. Maddie's kids were rambunctious after two days away, and no one wanted to nap. She breathed a sigh of relief when they were on the playground, and the kids could burn off their energy. Burn was an appropriate choice of words—it was mid-June and already almost ninety degrees. Maddie fanned herself with a book as she watched the children scramble around, seemingly oblivious to the weather.

  "Where do they get all that energy?" Rob appeared next to her, looking as hot and irritable as she felt.

  Maddie smiled at him. "If someone could bottle it, I'd buy a case."

  "I think someone tried that. It's called speed. Or maybe caffeine."

  She touched the brim of his ball cap. She would have liked to run her hand over his stubbly face, but knew she couldn't. Besides, he looks grimy.

  Rob grinned at the look on her face. "Yes, the bloom is off the rose. I didn't clean up before I got here today. It's too damn hot. I just want to go home and hop in the shower."

  "Ooh, me too." She batted her eyes at him.

  He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Sweet Jesus, you're doing it to me again. I'm not going to be able to take this everyday without getting my hands on you at some point."

  She raised her arms. "I'm right here."

  He rolled his eyes again, and looked at his daughter climbing the jungle gym.

  "Hi, daddy!" Sophie waved wildly.

  "Hey, munchkin," he called back, and looked at Maddie. "So tell me, Miss Stewart, do you get a lunch hour?"

  "Lunch half-hour, I'm afraid. We have a floating sub cover for each of us during naptime. I usually bring a sandwich and eat in the break room."

  He thought about that. "Thirty minutes, huh? Well, I can take an hour if I need to. And tomorrow, I think I need to. Let's see—it's about two minutes to your place, allowing thirty seconds to climb in and out of the truck. That gives us twenty five minutes alone at your house."

  Maddie's eyes lit up. "Twenty five minutes? Sounds like heaven."

  He sidled up next to her and whispered, "Sounds like about twenty minutes more than I'm going to need once I get my hands on you."

  Maddie grinned and looked down when Sophie appeared between them, her face red and flushed.

  "I'm thirsty," she announced.

  Maddie brushed the hair back from Sophie's face. "Show your daddy where we get drinks inside. You'll need a nice long one before you go home. You've been playing hard." She looked at Rob. "Paper cups above the sink. You'll see them."

  Sophie gave Maddie a hug. "Thanks, Miss Stewart!" She took her father by the hand and led him inside.

  Rob smiled back over his shoulder and repeated, "Thanks, Miss Stewart. I guess we'll see you tomorrow."

  "I guess you will." She batted her lashes and he winked.

  She was watching for him at twelve-thirty the next day, and was at his truck before he could even park. "Hey."

  "Hey there." He slipped out and let her scoot in his door. Sophie's car seat was in the far seat, so Maddie squeezed in the middle next to Rob. "I was going to move that car seat, but decided I'd kind of like to have you squashed up against me."

  "Come on." She motioned for him to drive. "I'm aiming to knock a few seconds off our travel time."

  He laughed as he drove then groaned when Maddie nibbled his ear.

  "The problem with me sitting so close," she explained, "is my lack of ability to keep my hands off of you."

  "You view that as a problem?" He pulled into her driveway and parked. He turned to her for a full-on kiss, and they both groaned and groped at each other. "Let's go." He grabbed her hand and they ran for the house.

  Maddie spotted her landlords working in their front flowerbed, pulling weeds while the shade was with them. "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Peabody." She smiled and gave a little wave as Rob dragged her up to the house.

  "Lovely day," Mr. Peabody remarked.

  "Keys," Rob demanded.

  She fumbled for her keys and gave them to Rob. "Yes, it sure is," she answered the neighbor then said, "See you!" as Rob pulled her into the house and slammed the door behind them.

  They came together and kissed passiona
tely, tongues going back and forth as their bodies would soon be doing. They started undressing each other in the living room and finished at the foot of her bed.

  "We don't have a lot of time here," she reminded him.

  He grinned at her. "Time enough for what's important."

  * * * *

  Twenty minutes later, she followed him to the bathroom to clean up. "Damn. I was hoping we'd have time for a quick shower. We're going back to work smelling like sex."

  He laughed. "Then everyone will understand why we're in such good moods." They quickly sorted their clothes and dressed.

  She looked at the clock and hollered, "Shit! We've got to get out of here!" She grabbed two brown paper bags from her refrigerator. "Where are my keys?"

  Rob dangled them in front of her.

  She shoved them in her pocket. "Lock the door, will you?"

  They headed out, and saw no signs of the landlords. "Maybe they heard us and got embarrassed," she said, sliding into the truck.

  Rob was right behind her. "Maybe they got horny, listening to all that grunting and groaning. Maybe Mr. and Mrs. Peabody are enjoying a little afternoon delight as we speak."

  "I hope so!" Maddie chuckled as he drove down the road. "It was a hell of a lot of fun." She opened one of the bags and pulled out some grapes. "I packed you a lunch. You can scarf it on the way back to the job site."

  He smiled at her appreciatively. "Thank you. I thought I'd have to settle for this happy and contented feeling in the pit of my stomach."

  "Haven't I taught you anything, for God's sake?" Maddie popped a grape into his mouth. "Never settle."

  * * * *

  Wednesday night when her phone rang, Maddie grabbed a bottle of water and snuggled with the cordless phone in her bed. Their conversations had grown longer each evening, and she settled in for comfort. "Hey baby," she answered the phone.

  "Do you realize," Rob started right in, "that Sophie goes to bed at eight? She's always asleep by eight-thirty. She's a very sound sleeper."